My second favourite Country/Pop artist ever, I was very excited for new Taylor material in 2012. Soundtrack singles "Safe & Sound" and "Eyes Open", though both good to varying degrees, did have me worrying a bit as to just how much Taylor's musical direction would shift on her fourth LP but thankfully, it was more or less of the same Taylor with a few curveballs thrown here and there. I mean, who expected her to go full out Pop on us with "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" or deliver a dubstep track like "I Knew You Were Trouble"? I'm very proud of all the success that she's been having with this Red era but I do hope that in 2013 she opts to release the title track as a single because that's the type of song that's truly representative of who she is as an artist. Oh, and she did have me worried in 2012 for a second reason - that Britney's long-standing first week sales record would fall!

Last Year's Rank: #13# of Plays: 1,005 playsYear-End Songs: We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together [#8], I Knew You Were Trouble [#44], Ronan [#67], Begin Again [#99]Year-End Albums: Red [#3]

#04. Nicki Minaj - 1,423 points

Though Miss Onika Maraj is ranked rather high here, I do feel that she could've been even higher had more of her music been up to scratch this era. Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded was underwhelming despite a number of quality tracks included on the CD. For me, there was just too much filler and I still contend that it'd have been a far more pleasant listen were the lengthy tracklist cut down to the best fourteen or fifteen songs. Additionally, I do fear that Nicki is verging on alienating her Urban audience with so many Pop songs. She is primarily a Hip/Hop artist (well, she should be) and I would like to hear more of 'raw Nicki' in 2013. Furthermore, most of the videos this era, especially those for her Pop singles, were dire messes, visual atrocities really. What saved her was that in spite of all these criticisms I held against her, she still shined as a feature artist. Almost every single song she was the featured name on charted on my year-end countdown because of her. Interestingly enough, she was just ahead of Taylor in 2011 and edges her out once more in 2012.

Far and away my favourite new act of 2012, Miss Elizabeth Grant, better known by her stage name Lana Del Rey, captivated me with her haunting vocals, pensive and melancholy lyrics, and mesmerizing music videos. I'll never forget seeing the "Born To Die" video clip for the first time. The lyrics and instrumental put me in a sort of trance and Lana's beauty was just so striking. I was obsessed with it and I'm sure I viewed it at least fifty times that first week alone. A few weeks later, "Off To The Races" leaked and I pretty much loathed it on the first listen as I was turned off by the bizarre production and the seemingly nonsensical lyrics. When the album dropped, I was stunned by its strength. There was no weak track on the album and even the songs I had initially dismissed as just "okay", I managed to grow to love later on in the year. Lana's vocals aren't the strongest and some of her live performances are dire as she's still lacking in confidence and stage presence but she really has this unique ability to bring to life a song and have it make a profound impact on the listener, which, in my opinion, is the mark of a true artist. I expect more brilliance from Lana in the future and I eagerly await here sure-to-be incredible follow-up to Born To Die. I pray she spends 2013 improving on her performance skills because, in my opinion, that's the only area in which she's lacking.

Carrie began 2012 by usurping Taylor Swift to become my favourite Country/Pop darling. I was very excited for her Blown Away album because Carrie's recorded some of my all-time favourite records so I knew that she was going to deliver something of the highest quality. The lead single, "Good Girl", was impressive and I still enjoy listening to it now but it was just a rehash of the stronger "Cowboy Casanova" and I hoped that the album had a stronger offering. My prayers were answered with "Blown Away". The song is such a lyrical and vocal masterpiece that it was even crowned my favourite song of the year and has cemented its place as one of my top tunes of all-time. The album itself is a tad weaker than its predecessors but I'd be lying if I said I was disappointed. I hope that in 2013, Carrie continues to work on writing and recording new music so she can return in 2014 and potentially challenge for my year-end #1 artist.

Miss Fenty has had more than her fair share of second places in my year-end charts so I'm happy to crown her my favourite artist of 2012. In the end, it really turned out to be a no-brainer. Save for Mariah Carey, Rihanna was my most played act of 2012. She had my most played song of 2012 with "Diamonds" and her album Unapologetic finished as runner-up on my year-end albums countdown. I was very impressed, from a musical standpoint, with Rihanna in 2012. If you listen to Rihanna circa 2005 and compare her with the Rihanna of today, the improvement is astonishing. She's evolved at an incredible rate and has grown to become a decent vocalist (her "Hero" performance still gives me nightmares though) and a capable live performer. It's easy to tell that she's been working hard to improve herself on all fronts to become a more credible entertainer. It is my fervent hope that in 2013 after the Unapologetic era that Rihanna takes a much-needed break. Since 2005, she's been inescapable and radio as well as my pocketbook could sure use a break from the Bajan superstar. I also hope (or rather wish) that she starts mending her public image. The bad girl image was fun in the beginning but she's starting to verge on classless with some of her antics and I'd also like for her to cut back on the smoking. My biggest wish would probably be for her to abandon Chris Brown before anything consequential occurs again but I really just want RiRi to be happy, safe, and enjoy all of the perks that come along with being the biggest female artist on the planet. And make no mistake about it, she most certainly is.

Taylor! I have played her so much lately! Red has exploded my last.fm! so.. thank you! "Starships" is nice but the rest is meh. Lana! Thanks again for making me check out "Summertime Sadness"! Fabulous song! Well, "Blown Away" has become my favorite Carrie Underwood song! Rihanna! "Diamonds" is good but get annoying after a while. "Where Have You Been" & "Princess of China" are meh! But good to see her!

Rihanna is so overrated but I can't help but like her music.From the Underwood songs I've heard (mainly due to you on SongPop) I quite like her.Lana Del Misery isn't my cup of tea.Minaj and Swift have both had some good songs but I'm not invested in either of them as artists.

Thanks so much to everyone for following this! It was fun while it lasted and I'm happy (and relieved) to have finally completed all my year-end charts. Thank you again!

CrazyCrazy wrote:Lana's album was quite nice!

Yep, album of the year for me.

PosziMC2 wrote:Rihsus slaying the plays like that *rip*

If I were to factor in plays from the radio, she'd be well over five thousand.

Haribo wrote:Taylor! I have played her so much lately! Red has exploded my last.fm! so.. thank you! "Starships" is nice but the rest is meh. Lana! Thanks again for making me check out "Summertime Sadness"! Fabulous song! Well, "Blown Away" has become my favorite Carrie Underwood song! Rihanna! "Diamonds" is good but get annoying after a while. "Where Have You Been" & "Princess of China" are meh! But good to see her!

Hopefully 2013 will see Beyoncé!

Aw, I'm very happy that you took the time out to listen to the songs and I'm proud that you like them. I, of course, disagree with what you said about "Diamonds". After well over five hundred spins from me, I've still not tired of it. I've just decided to put it in semi-retirement to avoid any possibility of it growing off of me.

Beyoncé has so many massive names to bypass this year if she wants the #1: Jordin, Britney, Mariah, and probably Rihanna too if she releases a new record. Then you've got Gaga and Katy. It's going to be a crazy year.

Mark95 wrote:YAY for Nicki, Rihanna AND LANA! <3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3I wrote sth for you on my own thread

Glad you like those three and you're referring to your daily chart, right? I think I saw it.

Lemo wrote:I thought 2012 belonged to Lana but Rihanna had some great tracks last year. 'Diamonds' and 'Where Have You Been' are great

Lana was a breath of fresh air for me in 2012 and certainly one of the year's definitive artists but from January to December, no one entertained me more than Miss Fenty (save for Mariah). Granted, she did aggravate me more than most others on the list too.

toni_pest wrote:Wooo, I guessed your #2 correctlyRihanna had an amazing year, and she was my #1 artist too. Lana and Nicki also had a great year and nice to see them in the top 5.

Um, no, you didn't. You predicted Lana and mentioned Carrie as another potential runner-up.

Happy to hear we share the same artist of the year though!

Spartan wrote:Rihanna is so overrated but I can't help but like her music.From the Underwood songs I've heard (mainly due to you on SongPop) I quite like her.Lana Del Misery isn't my cup of tea.Minaj and Swift have both had some good songs but I'm not invested in either of them as artists.

Genuinely LOL'ed at the bolded bits. I'm glad that you like most of the Top 5, to varying degrees though I must disagree that Rihanna is overrated. I actually consider her to be underrated.

Shame I haven't noticed this countdown before, you have a pretty great list here! I kinda expected Rihanna would be your #1 when I opened the topic... she's been really hit-or-miss for me lately but I'm always looking forward to her next outputs.

To rate some others:#25. The Wanted - I'm glad to see them on your list, they're so underrated! 'I Found You' is an amazing tune and their latest album was quite impressive, too.#14. Kylie Minogue - I'm of course very happy to see her on your list, 'Timebomb' was my #1 tune of 2012. Have you heard 'The Abbey Road Sessions'? There are some amazing reworkings on it!#12. Madonna - I'm only a casual fan of Madonna, I usually listen to her singles and nothing more but I have to admit that I was really looking forward to her 'MDNA' era last year! I even bought the album and as opposed to most fans, it didn't disappoint me, what's more, it even became my second most played album of 2012!#11. Florence + The Machine - The 'Ceremonials' era was indeed amazing! So many quality songs and videos, not to mention 'Sweet Nothing'! Can't wait for some new Florence.#06. P!nk - 'The Truth About Love' is a very good album and 'Try' is one of her best songs ever so it's quite a deserved position!#04. Nicki Minaj - I found 'Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded' pretty good, to be honest! It contained some duds indeed and I also think that's because of the length of the album... there are some real gems on it too, as you say!#03. Lana Del Rey - Lana is QUEEN. 'Born To Die' was my most played album last year and the 'Paradise' EP was one of my most anticipated releases as well... her songs are just perfection! I'm glad she made your top 3.

My second favourite Country/Pop artist ever, I was very excited for new Taylor material in 2012. Soundtrack singles "Safe & Sound" and "Eyes Open", though both good to varying degrees, did have me worrying a bit as to just how much Taylor's musical direction would shift on her fourth LP but thankfully, it was more or less of the same Taylor with a few curveballs thrown here and there. I mean, who expected her to go full out Pop on us with "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" or deliver a dubstep track like "I Knew You Were Trouble"? I'm very proud of all the success that she's been having with this Red era but I do hope that in 2013 she opts to release the title track as a single because that's the type of song that's truly representative of who she is as an artist. Oh, and she did have me worried in 2012 for a second reason - that Britney's long-standing first week sales record would fall!

Last Year's Rank: #13# of Plays: 1,005 playsYear-End Songs: We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together [#8], I Knew You Were Trouble [#44], Ronan [#67], Begin Again [#99]Year-End Albums: Red [#3]

#04. Nicki Minaj - 1,423 points

Though Miss Onika Maraj is ranked rather high here, I do feel that she could've been even higher had more of her music been up to scratch this era. Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded was underwhelming despite a number of quality tracks included on the CD. For me, there was just too much filler and I still contend that it'd have been a far more pleasant listen were the lengthy tracklist cut down to the best fourteen or fifteen songs. Additionally, I do fear that Nicki is verging on alienating her Urban audience with so many Pop songs. She is primarily a Hip/Hop artist (well, she should be) and I would like to hear more of 'raw Nicki' in 2013. Furthermore, most of the videos this era, especially those for her Pop singles, were dire messes, visual atrocities really. What saved her was that in spite of all these criticisms I held against her, she still shined as a feature artist. Almost every single song she was the featured name on charted on my year-end countdown because of her. Interestingly enough, she was just ahead of Taylor in 2011 and edges her out once more in 2012.

Far and away my favourite new act of 2012, Miss Elizabeth Grant, better known by her stage name Lana Del Rey, captivated me with her haunting vocals, pensive and melancholy lyrics, and mesmerizing music videos. I'll never forget seeing the "Born To Die" video clip for the first time. The lyrics and instrumental put me in a sort of trance and Lana's beauty was just so striking. I was obsessed with it and I'm sure I viewed it at least fifty times that first week alone. A few weeks later, "Off To The Races" leaked and I pretty much loathed it on the first listen as I was turned off by the bizarre production and the seemingly nonsensical lyrics. When the album dropped, I was stunned by its strength. There was no weak track on the album and even the songs I had initially dismissed as just "okay", I managed to grow to love later on in the year. Lana's vocals aren't the strongest and some of her live performances are dire as she's still lacking in confidence and stage presence but she really has this unique ability to bring to life a song and have it make a profound impact on the listener, which, in my opinion, is the mark of a true artist. I expect more brilliance from Lana in the future and I eagerly await here sure-to-be incredible follow-up to Born To Die. I pray she spends 2013 improving on her performance skills because, in my opinion, that's the only area in which she's lacking.

Carrie began 2012 by usurping Taylor Swift to become my favourite Country/Pop darling. I was very excited for her Blown Away album because Carrie's recorded some of my all-time favourite records so I knew that she was going to deliver something of the highest quality. The lead single, "Good Girl", was impressive and I still enjoy listening to it now but it was just a rehash of the stronger "Cowboy Casanova" and I hoped that the album had a stronger offering. My prayers were answered with "Blown Away". The song is such a lyrical and vocal masterpiece that it was even crowned my favourite song of the year and has cemented its place as one of my top tunes of all-time. The album itself is a tad weaker than its predecessors but I'd be lying if I said I was disappointed. I hope that in 2013, Carrie continues to work on writing and recording new music so she can return in 2014 and potentially challenge for my year-end #1 artist.

Miss Fenty has had more than her fair share of second places in my year-end charts so I'm happy to crown her my favourite artist of 2012. In the end, it really turned out to be a no-brainer. Save for Mariah Carey, Rihanna was my most played act of 2012. She had my most played song of 2012 with "Diamonds" and her album Unapologetic finished as runner-up on my year-end albums countdown. I was very impressed, from a musical standpoint, with Rihanna in 2012. If you listen to Rihanna circa 2005 and compare her with the Rihanna of today, the improvement is astonishing. She's evolved at an incredible rate and has grown to become a decent vocalist (her "Hero" performance still gives me nightmares though) and a capable live performer. It's easy to tell that she's been working hard to improve herself on all fronts to become a more credible entertainer. It is my fervent hope that in 2013 after the Unapologetic era that Rihanna takes a much-needed break. Since 2005, she's been inescapable and radio as well as my pocketbook could sure use a break from the Bajan superstar. I also hope (or rather wish) that she starts mending her public image. The bad girl image was fun in the beginning but she's starting to verge on classless with some of her antics and I'd also like for her to cut back on the smoking. My biggest wish would probably be for her to abandon Chris Brown before anything consequential occurs again but I really just want RiRi to be happy, safe, and enjoy all of the perks that come along with being the biggest female artist on the planet. And make no mistake about it, she most certainly is.